Page 191 of The Bone Season

‘I don’t care about your fake categories!’

‘You should, since I am your only protector,’ Jaxon barked. ‘The man who keeps you from starving like the wretched buskers.’ He chucked a wad of money into the air, sending notes fluttering across the carpet. ‘Ezekiel has only hadenoughwhen I say so – when I care to release him for the day. Do you think Hector or the Wicked Lady would ever show the generosity I have to a common whisperer, of all things?’

‘We don’t work for them,’ Eliza said firmly. ‘Come back, John. I’m safe.’

John slunk away, placated. Zeke shuddered.

‘I’m okay,’ he managed. ‘I’m fine. I just need a minute.’

‘You arenotokay.’ Nadine rounded on Jaxon. ‘You preyed on us. We told you about what happened to Zeke and you promised you would make it better. You said you would fix him, not make him worse!’

‘I said I would try.’ Jaxon was unmoved. ‘Am I not trying now?’

‘We left our lives for this. For the chance you were offering,’ Nadine exploded. ‘I was an idiot to believe you. You’re a liar. You’re a con man.’

‘Nadine,’ Eliza warned.

‘If I am so villainous, by all means, leave my home,’ Jaxon said. ‘The door is always there, Nadine.’ His voice dropped a few notes. ‘The door to the cold, dark streets of London. No one else in the syndicate would shelter you.’ He blew a grey plume in her direction. ‘I wonder how long it would take for the Vigiles to … smoke you out?’

Nadine shook with anger, a tiny flicker of dread on her face. ‘I’m going to Chat’s,’ she said, snatching her jacket. ‘No one is welcome to join me.’

She grabbed her headphones and purse before she stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

‘Dee,’ Zeke called, but she didn’t return. I heard her kick something on her way down the stairs. Pieter came shooting through the wall, furious at being disturbed, and went to sulk in the corner with John.

‘Jaxon, that really is enough,’ Eliza said, shaken. ‘We can try again next week.’

‘Wait.’ Jaxon pointed a long finger at me. ‘We haven’t tried our secret weapon yet.’ When I frowned, he gave me a winning smile. ‘Oh, come now, Paige – don’t play the fool. Break into his dreamscape for me.’

The temptation to do as he asked was immediate. It had been weeks since Jaxon had smiled at me like that, as if I were his pride and joy.

‘We’ve discussed this,’ I said, standing my ground. ‘I don’t do break-ins.’

‘You don’tdothem. I see. I didn’t realise you had a job description. Oh!’ Jaxon snapped his fingers. ‘Now I remember – I didn’t give you one.’

‘Jaxon—’

‘We are clairvoyants, unnaturals, lords of misrule. Did you think we were going to be like Daddy, sitting in our little offices from nine to five, sippingteafrom our little Scion-made cups?’ All of a sudden he looked disgusted, as if he couldn’t abide how amaurotic people could be. ‘Some of us defy Scion, Paige. Some of us want silver and satin and sordid streets andspirits.’

All I could do was stare at him. He took a huge gulp of wine, his eyes fixed on the window.

‘This is getting ridiculous.’ Eliza stood akimbo. ‘Maybe we should just—’

‘Who pays you?’

She sighed. ‘You do, Jaxon.’

‘Correct. I pay, you obey. Now, run upstairs and get Danica for me. I want her to see the marvels unfold.’

With her lips pursed tight, Eliza went upstairs. Zeke shot me a look of exhausted desperation. Over the past year, we had become good friends. I liked him. For his sake, I forced myself to speak up again.

‘Jax,’ I said, ‘I’m really not up to it right now. I was tailing the Threadbare Company for—’

‘You have two hours off tomorrow, honeybee. You can use it to catch up on sleep.’

‘You know I can’t break into dreamscapes.’

‘I am painfully aware.’ Jaxon poured himself some more wine. ‘Go on. Try to impress me, as you once did.’ My cheeks warmed. ‘I’ve been waiting for this for years, Paige – a dreamwalker pitted against an unreadable, the ultimate ethereal confrontation. Never could I conceive of a more consequential or chaotic encounter.’

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